


Twelve Hours

by Gin110881



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Curse Breaker Ginny, F/M, Harry Potter Never Went to Hogwarts, Private Eye Harry, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gin110881/pseuds/Gin110881
Summary: Their first meeting literally knocked them off...and it took them twelve hours to finally kiss. A short story about an unfortunate misunderstanding.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Arrival

"Finally," Ginny Weasley muttered when she noticed the door with the 'Salidas' sign at the end of the corridor. She levitated her trunk into the Portkey Departures hall and looked about. A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she discovered the blue 'Europa' sign in a distant corner of the hall. In a brisk walk, she headed over to the departure counter, hoping the Ministry official would let her leave as her supposed departure time had been a minute ago. Applying for a new portkey would take time and money, and after three months in South America, she only wanted one thing - go back home. She had managed to get the portkey for a day earlier and wanted to surprise her family at the traditional Sunday evening dinner.

A friendly elderly gentleman in a dark red uniform waved her over. "Just in time, Señorita. You need to touch this pencil to activate the portkey. We'll send your luggage in a few seconds."

Relieved that she was still on time, Ginny took a deep breath and gave the man a gratefully smile. "Thank you."

"Adiós, Señorita," The man said, handing her the Portkey. "I hope you enjoyed your stay in Peru."

"Yes, I did," Ginny nodded. Reaching for the pencil, she immediately felt the familiar sharp yank behind her navel and the hall around her disappeared.

Some very long seconds later she stumbled into a dim-lit room, trying to orientate.

"Stand aside!" A grim voiced barked. Ginny turned and noticed a grumpy-looking grey-haired man sitting on a chair in the corner. "Stand aside," the man repeated, "You're late. The next traveller will be arriving soon."

With a thunk, her luggage hit the ground next to her. She reached for the handle and was about to step out of the arrival area when she felt a push from behind, and someone thrust her down to the ground; the impact knocked the breath out of her. Desperately gasping for air, she tried to get on her knees to stand up.

"Sorry, sorry," the someone stammered. "I tripped over this damn trunk."

When this someone climbed off of her and reached out to help her up, her gaze followed his arm, and she suddenly got sucked in by a pair of emerald green eyes that were watching her carefully through dark-framed glasses. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she got up and forced herself to take a step back.

Slightly embarrassed about her clumsiness, Ginny shook her head. "It was my fault and...my trunk," she stammered, giving the man a sheepish glance. She felt her ears warm and was glad that she'd gotten a bit of a tan during her stay in Peru. Why on earth did she suddenly blush when she looked at a man? She was used to dealing with blokes at work.

As if trying to release a strain in his muscles, the man rolled his neck and stretched his shoulders with a slight groan.

"Oh, did you hurt yourself?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"No, no, it's okay. It's just...sometimes it just feels like my body wasn't made for Portkey trips," the man answered with a crooked smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Portkey travelling can be pretty uncomfortable sometimes," Ginny said, unable to take her eyes off that lopsided smile. "And it certainly doesn't help when a notoriously tardy person is standing in your way when you're landing."

"I don't mind if the tardy person is so good-looking."

Afraid that this cute smile would hunt her in her dreams, Ginny averted her eyes. "I think we better go before the next traveller trips over us. I've done enough damage for today."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're right," the man blurted. "I mean, you're right that we ought to go," he added, handing her her trunk.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled. With a movement of her wand, she lifted the trunk and levitated it to the exit of the arrival area. Damn, she thought, forcing herself to slow down. She was torn between running away and throwing herself around his neck. Her heart had never pounded so loud when she was looking at a man. These green eyes, his smile...

"I hope you enjoyed your trip," said the man as he hurried after her.

"Oh, it was very nice. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to see much of the country," Ginny replied, manoeuvring her trunk through a passage.

"Doesn't sound like you enjoyed your holidays," the man noted when he'd caught up with her.

"Holidays?" Ginny sniggered, glancing over at the man. His interest in her somehow made her feel nervous - in a pleasant way. "No, I was on a business trip, and now I'm glad to be back home."

"Oh, sounds like you've been away for a longer time." The man replied. "What are you doing for a living, if I may ask?"

A strange mix of emotion rose in Ginny. For one, she felt greatly pleased that the man showed so much interest in her, but there was also something else, something she couldn't quite grasp. Now that her heart didn't pound as loud anymore, she dared to take a closer look at him. He was quite handsome in his tight jeans and a stylish, short-sleeved shirt. The way he ran his hands through the black mop of his hair, only to make an even bigger mess of it, was kind of adorable. Before his emerald green eyes could suck her in and make her blush again, she averted her gaze and concentrated back on the trunk floating in front of her.

"I work for Gringott's," she replied with a sheepish grin. "And what drove you outside the country?"

"Oh," the man answered, obviously searching for the right words. "This and that, I did a friend a favour and - well, I helped her on an important matter."

Giving the man a brief glance, Ginny raised her eyebrows, awaiting a more detailed explanation, but it never came.

As they reached the counter at the exit, a man wearing a purple Auror uniform waved them over. "Your wands please."

Pointing to the counter, the man nodded to her to let her go first.

"Thanks," Ginny said and stepped forward to place her wand on the tabletop.

"What do we have there?" The officer took her wand and examined it closely. "Ah, it's a yew wand. Beautifully crafted," the officer muttered. As he turned to check the length of her wand, Ginny glanced at the man next to her. He was suddenly quiet and nervously ran his hands through his hair.

"Madam." Ginny was startled out of her thoughts when the officer handed her the wand back.

"Oh, thank you." She gave the officer a friendly smile and walked through the checkpoint. After a few steps, she put down her trunk and fiddled with the handle to play for time.

When she heard footsteps behind her, she picked up her trunk stepped aside. "I'm sorry. It seems I'm standing in your way again."

"Merlin, no. I'm glad you're still here," the man said. "I was hoping..."

"Please, come over here," a uniformed man interrupted him and beckoned to them. "Customs control. I'd like to take a look in your luggage."

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked at the man, shrugging. "Bad luck."

"I only need you, sir," said the Ministry official with a stern look. "You may move on, madam."

"Lucky me," Ginny gave the man an apologetic smile, a little disappointed that she probably wouldn't see him again. "I hope you don't have any illegal items in your luggage."

"Oh, of course not," the man muttered as his eyes suddenly widened and he grimaced as if he had a toothache.

After a short glance at her watch, she huffed and raised her hand. "Bye. It is already four o'clock, I need to hurry. I'm expected for dinner." Wondering why she felt the need to apologize, she made her way to the Apparition point. She wanted to bring her luggage home before surprising her family with her presence on their traditional Sunday evening dinner at the Burrow.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

Harry stared at the redheaded woman he'd just bumped into. He swallowed nervously. Her warm brown eyes, the many freckles that stood out under her tanned skin, and her blazing red hair somehow left him speechless.

When she started to levitate her trunk to the exit, he was jolted out of his reverie and hurried after her. Staring at her bum, he blurted out, "I hope you enjoyed your trip."

She gave him a brief glance and levitated her trunk into a hallway. "Oh, it was very nice. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to see much of the country."

"Doesn't sound like you enjoyed your holidays," he said without thinking, inwardly cursing his stupid comment as soon as the words were out.

"Holidays? No, I was on a business trip, and now I'm glad to be back home." The woman smiled at him, obviously amused by his clumsiness. He had to work harder to get her attention.

His curiosity spurred by her answer, he blurted out, "Oh, sounds like you've been away for a longer time. What are you doing for a living if I may ask?" Merlin, he thought to himself. Now he sounded like a nosy berk.

The woman stopped and eyed him closely. Damn, that's it. I'm getting on her nerves, he thought as she continued her way to the exit.

"I work for Gringott's. And what drove you outside the country?"

"Oh," Harry swallowed, looking for a plausible answer that wouldn't scare her away. "This and that, I did a friend a favour and - well, I helped her on an important matter."

Desperately seeking for the right words to invite her over for a coffee, Harry noticed an Auror calling them over. "Your wands please," the officer said.

With a brief nod, Harry let the woman go ahead, silently cursing that she'd be gone when the officer was finally done weighing his wand.

As soon as he got his wand back, Harry hurried after the woman and was relieved to find her leaning over her trunk, obviously looking for something.

"I'm sorry. It seems I'm standing in your way again." She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Merlin, no. I'm glad you're still here," Harry blurted out. "I was hoping..."

"Please, come here." A voice interrupted his words. "Customs control. I'd like to take a look in your luggage."

"Bad luck," the woman muttered annoyed.

"I only need you, sir," the man behind the counter said. "You may move on, madam."

"Lucky me." The woman exclaimed relieved and gave him an impish grin. "I hope you don't have any illegal items in your luggage."

"Oh, of course not," Harry replied and grimaced, suddenly remembering the contents of his trunk.

"Bye. It is already four o'clock, I need to hurry. I'm expected for dinner." The woman waved briefly before she turned and walked away.

Harry's shoulder sagged as his eyes followed the woman on her way to the exit. He had hoped to invite her over for a coffee before they had to part and maybe get her name. Obviously, it was just another missed opportunity. Something he'd gotten used to in his life.

"Come on." The voice of the official torn from his thoughts. "I can't wait all day for you."

With a sullen look, Harry strode over to the check-in counter and placed his trunk on the table. Desperately seeking a plausible explanation for the contents of his trunk, a feeling of discomfort suddenly spread through his stomach.

"Where did you arrive from?" asked the official.

"I was in Colombia for a few days," Harry replied, trying not to sound worried.

"Do you have anything to declare?"

"No." He shook his head and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "But I can explain what I need the things in my trunk for."

The officer gave him a concerned look. "We'll see. Please open the trunk."

Harry pulled out his wand and briefly touched the trunk with it. He frowned when nothing happened. He touched the trunk again, muttering, "Alohomora!" A slight click confirmed that the lock was now open.

The officer opened the case lid and Harry jaw dropped.

With a smug smile, the officer rummaged through the women's clothing in the trunk, pretending to search for any hidden items. "There's no need to explain yourself," the man chuckled while eyeing a particularly tiny pair of knickers. "You can wear whatever you want."

Harry blushed. "I can explain that." He stopped short. "That is, I can't. That's not my trunk."

"Don't worry, I won't ask any questions, Mr...?"

"Evans. James Evans, it is." Harry was so confused that he had almost forgotten the name in his passport.

"Mr Evans, it's not every day I see a bloke wearing women's clothes. But it's not forbidden. I wish you a nice day." The officer closed the lid of the trunk and waved Harry to move on.

Confused, Harry locked the trunk, shaking his head in disbelief.

He looked at the official and murmured, "It's really not my trunk."

Reaching for his wand, he levitated the trunk to the exit. He had to find this woman. It had to be her trunk. Deep in thought, he strode across the exit hall to the Apparition point, not noticing the man following him and pointing his wand at the trunk, muttering a spell.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

Harry Apparated directly into the foyer of his flat. With hurried steps, he headed to his study and launched the trunk on his desk. At first glance, it really looked like his trunk. On closer inspection, however, he discovered a gold-coloured sticker of a galleon with the letters GCC on it. GCC, Harry thought. He'd seen these letters somewhere. He tapped the lock of the trunk with his wand and muttered "Alohomora!"

The lock snapped open and Harry opened the lid. Ignoring the ladies' underwear, he reached for one of the two brown casually folded overalls on the bottom of the trunk. On the front of the overall, he noticed the same Galleon with the letters GCC, and the words 'Gringott's Cursebreaker Corps' underneath.

'Whoa.' Harry took a deep breath. A curse breaker. He'd never thought of the attractive redhead as being a curse breaker. The collection of underwear, casual and fancy, didn't match his image of a curse breaker either. Without thinking, he took one of the green silk pants and sniffed them. Pervert, he thought as he inhaled the beguiling scent and a slight shiver ran down his back. He put the silk piece of nothing back and examined the contents of the suitcase more closely. Somewhere in there must be a link to its owner. He started to empty the trunk when he saw a side pocket with a Muggle book, a notebook and some Muggle pens in it.

He took the notebook to examine it more closely. The initials GMW were written in block letters on the front page. He opened the book and breathed a sigh of relief. 'Working Diary, Ginny Weasley' was written on the first page in curved writing, followed by 'Sechin Alto, Peru, 2006'. He flipped through the rest of the pages, filled with dates and descriptions of ancient pyramids and runes.

'So,' thought Harry and started pacing the room. 'Ginny Weasley.' Somehow the name Weasley seemed familiar to him, but he didn't remember where to put it. How was he supposed to find her? He doubted that Gringott's would tell him the whereabouts of one of their employees.

He absolutely needed this trunk, at the latest the day after tomorrow. No, he remembered. At the latest tomorrow. He wanted to sift through the material he'd collected in Colombia to prepare for the meeting with his friend in two days.

He briefly considered contacting his friend to inform her of his mishap when a thought struck him. 'Damn it,' he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. How stupid of him. In his panic, he'd completely forgotten about the tracking charm he'd put on the trunk.

He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a folded map. He pushed the trunk aside and unfolded the map. Tapping his wand on the paper, he murmured, "Ostend vidulo meo ponere licet!"

A blinking black dot appeared on the far-left corner of the map. Harry leaned over to look at the point on the south coast of Devon.

"Hallsands," he murmured. "Never heard of it." He pointed his wand at a point on the coast near the place, memorised the coordinates. Before he Apparated away, he remembered the trunk. Sighing, he put all the things back, took a last glance at the unmentionables, and closed the lid. After a last look in the mirror to make sure the glamours on his forehead were still in place, he reached for the trunk and Apparated to Devon.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

With a soft popping noise, Ginny arrived at the garden gate of her home.

A smile crossed her face as she walked through the gate and noticed the small flower beds in front of her cottage. Apparently, her mother had kept her promise and looked after her garden. Breathing in the fresh sea air, she strolled around the house. As she rounded the corner, the strong sea wind blew in her face and let her hair fly. She looked over to the Start Point Lighthouse, glowing white in the evening sun, and the nearby cliffs with the houses and ruins of Hallsands. She'd immediately loved this place when she'd been looking for her own home two years ago. After receiving the bonus for her first successful assignment for Gringotts, she had bought this secluded cottage at a reasonable price. The day she'd discovered this place, she'd watched a group of seals down on the shore and had decided to name her new home Seal Cottage. She could spend hours and hours, sitting outside on a bench, admiring the view or reading a romance novel.

It was good to be home.

A glance at her watch confirmed that she had to hurry to be in time for dinner. With a sigh, she pulled out her wand, deactivated the wards and walked through the back door into the living room. She set her trunk in the corner and opened a shutter to let some light into the room. With a content sigh, she looked about. It felt nice to be back home.

When her gaze halted on her trunk, she bit her lower lip. Taking a deep breath, she decided that the laundry could wait until tomorrow.

She hurried up the stairs and entered her bedroom. After opening the shutters to let in some light in, she launched her robes on a chair and flung herself on her bed. With a satisfied moan, she stretched. Three months sleeping on a cot, and her bed felt like heaven. With a big grin, she looked about.

It felt good to be back home.

Waving to Gwenog Jones who was looking down on her from the poster emblazoning the wall over her bed, she sighed. She had to hurry. Jumping to her feet, she opened her wardrobe in search for something to wear.

Quickly, she changed into something comfortable and stepped in front of the mirror to check her hairdo. Deciding to go with a side braid today, she reached for a hair bobble and plaited her hair in a long braid she put over her shoulder.

"As beautiful as ever," the mirror praised her.

"Liar," Ginny retorted laughing when she checked her appearance. After walking around in work clothes for the last months, it felt good to wear her favourite blue jeans, and the dark green t-shirt she'd picked out.

Giving her room a last look over, she turned and hurried back down the stairs.

After a brief stop at the loo, she stepped through the back door and locked it. She pulled out her wand and re-established the wards. With a last glance over to the lighthouse, she Apparated to the Burrow - without noticing the man with a trunk in his hand, walking through the garden gate on the other side of the house.


	2. Confusion

With a broad grin, Ginny knocked on the back door to her old home. She opened the door and peered into the kitchen, where her mother was standing by the stove, preparing dinner while humming along to a Celestina Warbeck melody on the wireless.

The squeak of the door made her mother look up. "Ginny," she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? We didn't expect you before tomorrow."

"Surprise!" Ginny called and threw herself into her mother's arms. "How are you, Mum? I hope you are all doing well. I look forward to seeing everyone tonight."

"Aw, Ginny. I'm so sorry. We didn't expect you..." her mother grimaced. "We've planned a welcome home party for the next weekend. But I'm afraid, today it's only you, your Dad, and me. Bill is still in France with Fleur and the children, visiting the Delacour's. Charlie is coming from Romania for a few days at the end of the week. Percy and Penelope are in London watching a play, I think it was something by Shakespeare. Fred and George went to Montrose to watch a Quidditch match this morning, and Ron was invited to dinner at Hermione's today. Her parents were complaining they haven't seen their grandchild in two weeks." Molly rolled her eyes.

"Aw, I haven't seen little Rose either. How old is she now? Four weeks?" Ginny cooed.

"Yesterday, she was six weeks old." Her mother smiled dreamily. "You ought to visit Ron and Hermione soon. Hermione is still at home, and Ron usually comes back from work at five if you want to see your brother as well."

"Can't wait to see that big oaf again," Ginny grinned. Sighing, she added, "It's a pity. I was hoping the whole family would be here for dinner." Biting her lower lip, she slowly nodded. "But it's a good idea. I'll ask Hermione if we can meet tomorrow."

"You look a little tired, dear." Her mother gave her a worried look.

"Nah, everything is okay, Mum. I didn't have much sleep last night, but it's okay," Ginny said. "Besides, I only got up four hours ago. It is still morning in Peru."

"Oh, that's all a bit confusing, isn't it?" her mother said while fishing a spoon out of the drawer to taste the gravy.

"You get used to it," replied Ginny. "Plus, I have a few days to rest now."

"If you say so, my dear," her mother muttered, far from being reassured.

A soft squeak made Ginny look over to the cupboard, where a fluffy, purple ball was bouncing up and down.

"Arnold, how are you?" Ginny squealed and hurried over to the cupboard to pick up her pygmy puff. She put it on her palm and watched with amusement how the little creature stared at her, delighted to see her again. She nuzzled the ball and grinned. "Yes, I'm also happy to see you again. You look a little muddled. Did you sleep all day again? Look, Mum. He's cute, isn't he? I didn't think he would remember me."

Her mother laughed, "Maybe he's just staring at you because you're a new face for him."

When Arnold jumped up into her hair, Ginny giggled, "Ah, the little terrorist remembers my hair." She slowly removed the pygmy puff from her hair, placed it on the table and caressed the fluffy ball.

"What are your plans for the next days, dear?" Her mother asked.

"I need to report back to Gringott's tomorrow morning, and then I have two weeks off," Ginny said. "I want to meet Luna if she's not abroad, and maybe visit Hannah at the Leaky. With a bit of luck, Neville has an evening off from Hogwarts. Maybe I can even meet Demelza. I need to check when she has her next home game. Merlin, I haven't seen a Quidditch game in months."

Her mother sat on the chair next to her. "Are you planning a birthday party, my dear?"

"Oh," Ginny said. "I didn't even think about that. But I'd love to see everyone again."

"At your house, or here at the Burrow?" Her mother asked.

"Good question," Ginny mused. "It would be nice to have everyone over at Seal Cottage. They've only been there once; two years ago, for the house-warming party."

"Come on, my dear, help me set the table," her mother said. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Of course." Ginny walked over to the cupboard and took out plates and cutlery to put them on the table. "Mum, I hope you'll help me cook for my birthday party. While I think my cooking isn't that bad, I've never done it for so many people."

"Of course, my dear," her mother smiled at her. "Don't worry!" Giving her a concerned look, she added, "How does it feel to live all alone in your cottage so far out there."

"It's fantastic, I love the view and everything," said Ginny.

"But I don't know, my dear, I always have such an uneasy feeling that you live so isolated." Her mother gave her a worried look. "It's a wonderful place, but I wish you weren't alone out there."

A brief smile crossed Ginny face, as the image of a man with green eyes and black hair crossed her mind. Bewildered, she shook her head and raised her hands in defence, laughing. "Oh, Mum. Not that again. I just haven't found the right one yet, and sometimes I have my doubts that he even exists."

"Just wait, Ginny, dear. There is a matching lid for every pot. You just need to look somewhere else. I doubt you'll find a decent man in your pyramids and tombs. How about a nice job in the Ministry? You could go out with friends in the evening, and you'd find the right one in no time."

"Oh Mum, I would end up being an old grumpy looking woman if I had to sit at a desk every day," laughed Ginny.

"Trust me, dear." Her mother gave her a knowing look. "And now go and find your father. Tell him dinner is ready. He'll be surprised to see you."

"I take it, he's in his shed, tinkering?" asked Ginny, nodding her head in the direction of her father's favourite place.

"Where else?" snorted her mother. "There are things that never change."

As Ginny got up to find her father, her mother called after her, "Ginny, dear. Please have a look in the chicken coop to see if the hens have laid eggs."

"Of course, Mum," replied Ginny.

"I hope you remember where the chicken coop is." Her mother grinned.

"Mum," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I was only gone for 3 months."

With bouncing steps, she walked through the door to look for her father.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

"Do you like some more from the roast, Ginny? Or some pudding? You must be hungry after your long journey." Her mother gave Ginny a concerned look when she put down her knife and fork.

"Mum, I had a second helping of everything," Ginny shook her head. "And besides, the portkey journey had only taken a few minutes. I had a late breakfast, and it's now 1 p.m. in Peru, barely time for a snack for lunch."

She peered over at her father and giggled. "Dad, how come you're not twice as fat as you are? This woman must feed you big and round."

Her father chuckled, "If you don't tell your mother, I'll tell you a secret."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You know your secrets are safe with me." Smirking, she glanced over at her mother, who stared at her father with interest.

"I don't have lunch when I am at work. Instead, I take a nice, long walk."

"Oh, Arthur. How can you." Molly gave him an offended look. "And what are you doing with the sandwiches I make for lunch?"

"On the way to the lunch break, I pass the sports department. Ron never refuses an extra bite."

Ginny laughed out loud. "Dad, you are impossible."

Her mother stood up, shaking her head. Mumbling something about men, she sent the dishes to the sink with a flick of her wand.

"Thanks for the fabulous dinner, Mum. I've really missed your cooking." Ginny stood up and hugged her mother. After giving her father a farewell hug, she went over to the chair, where Arnold snored comfortably on a pillow. She put him on her shoulder and turned to the door. "I'll head back home. I want to sit a bit behind the house and enjoy the beautiful evening."

"We'll be in contact for your birthday party, Ginny," her mother gave her a firm look. "And don't forget to have a look in your kitchen, I left you some food there."

"Yes, of course, Mum. And thank you. I'll drop by tomorrow afternoon. I want to fly a bit. Unfortunately, I can't do that at my house because of Muggles." She waved goodbye to her parents and made her way home.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

With a soft pop noise, Harry appeared on the edge of the cliff and almost toppled down the steep slope to the shore. Startled, he took a step back. Only a few feet forward, and he would have landed in the middle of the slope and probably broken a few bones during the fall. Squinting his eyes against the wind, he looked about and the view almost took his breath away. The houses that looked down onto the sea from the edge of the cliff looked idyllic. The ruins clinging to the slope, mostly torn away by the sea, were proof that the forces of nature had no mercy. A little further away, a lighthouse pointed into the blue sky like a white index finger, apparently unimpressed by the wind and the waves breaking against the nearby shore.

What a beautiful place, Harry thought to himself. When he finally broke away from the sight and turned, he noticed a cottage only a few dozen yards away. It was the only building nearby, and probably the place he'd find his trunk.

Turning his head out of the wind, he took a deep breath and headed up the footpath towards the house. Surrounded by a low stone wall, the yellow building with the green shutters shone in the evening sun. A couple of seagulls were resting on the ridge of the reed roof, watching the newcomer suspiciously. Harry walked up to the garden gate and pushed the handle. When the gate opened with a slight squeak, he walked through and looked about. He admired the well-tended flower beds and the red roses that grew to the right and left of the front door. His heart started pounding faster when he realized that this pretty red-haired woman he'd met less than half an hour ago could walk around the corner of the house at any moment.

But she didn't.

He walked up to the front door, knocked and listened for any noises in the house. But there was nothing but the sound of the wind. When no one answered, he knocked again, a bit louder this time, and slowly walked around the house.

He rounded the corner to the backyard, only to find it deserted, too. The piece of lawn with a few bushes on it led to the cliff and was looking as if it had just been mowed. A small shed stood right next to the low stone wall that surrounded the property. Next to the backdoor a garden bench with a table invited to rest - but there was not a single human soul in sight. Disappointed, he ran his hands through the hair, which was even more tousled by the sea breeze than usual. Huffing in frustration, he looked about and paused when he noticed a window with the shutter open.

Harry hesitantly walked over to the window, not sure if he should try to get a peek inside. In the end, the wish to get his trunk back won. With a sigh, he went on tiptoe and pressed his forehead against the glass - and flinched away.

The low hum he'd heard was a sure sign that the house was protected by strong wards. Harry pulled out his wand to check if anyone was home. He muttered 'Homenum revelio' and cursed when the spell failed. The wards were obviously too strong.

Ah, right, he remembered. She's a curse breaker.

Pondering his options, he threw a pensive glance at the trunk he'd set on the ground when he'd tried to have a peek into the house. Damn, he thought. According to the tracking charm, his trunk ought to be here, probably inside the house. Suddenly he grimaced, remembering that she'd mentioned that she'd be expected for dinner - and obviously, the dinner didn't take place here.

Considering that he needed to come back later, dinner seemed to be a charming idea. Harry just hoped, the woman wouldn't spend the night wherever she was now. Resisting the temptation to rest a bit on the garden bench to enjoy the view, Harry Apparated away.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

When Ginny got back home, the sun was already setting. She was looking forward to sitting outside on her bench with a good book, something she had hardly found time during her stay in Peru. The life with her colleagues in the camp, as much as she'd loved it, had offered little peace and privacy.

She pulled her wand to take down the wards - and hesitated. Someone had been here and triggered the wards. She made some complicated movements with her wand to check them. Apparently, nothing serious had happened. The wards were still up. Frowning, she noticed the open shutter. Had anyone tried to break in through her window? On the other hand, maybe it was just a nosy Muggle who'd tried to get a peek inside. She took the wards down and walked through the door into the living room. After having a brief look about, she continued to the kitchen, but she couldn't find anything suspicious.

Arnold, who had latched onto her hair again, slid down her arm. Crawling over the kitchen table, he made himself comfortable in the windowsill.

Ginny opened the shutter so Arnold could enjoy the last rays of the sun and to let some light into the kitchen.

She went back to the living room to get her trunk and put it on the kitchen table. When she tapped the lock with her wand, she froze. Why didn't the lock open? She repeated the wand movement and murmured 'Alohomora'. A click confirmed that the lock had opened. She shook her head and opened the lid to take out her book when her jaw dropped.

Instead of her clothes, the trunk was full of strange things. A whole stack of Muggle ID cards, mostly from young women, lots of glass tubes with hair, filled out entry forms for visiting the UK, shipping notes for potion ingredients...

Ginny started.

This was not her trunk.

But where was her trunk? And what was this strange trunk doing in her house?

Startled, she gasped for air. Her eyes widened when the realization hit her. This trunk had to belong to the man she'd met when she'd arrived from Peru.

But what did he need all these strange things for? What was this handsome man up to? Could she have been so wrong about him?

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. The window! Did the person who'd peeked through her window have a mop of black hair and green eyes?

She walked back to the living room and gave the window a closer inspection. She opened and closed the window but couldn't find any signs of a security breach. Absent-mindedly, she walked back to the kitchen.

How did he find her so quickly?

She gave the trunk a suspicious glance and hesitated. With a flick of her wand, she checked it for any charms and swore when the trunk briefly glowed blue - a sure sign that a tracking charm had been applied. She removed the charm and headed to the back door to lock it.

She'd never thought that someone could fool her so thoroughly. The man had made such a trustworthy impression on her; she'd have said yes without a second thought if he'd invited her for a drink. Disappointed, she shook her head.

What should she do now?

'Seamus,' a thought crossed her mind. Seamus, one of her schoolmates from Hogwarts she occasionally met at the annual class reunions. He was an Auror, and he would know what to do with the stuff in the trunk.

She could floo call him but, unfortunately, her home was not connected to the Floo network. She could Apparate, but as far as she knew, he didn't live in his old flat in Hogsmeade anymore.

Taking a brief glance at her watch, she hesitated. It was 9 p.m. on Sunday evening. Was it really so important to ruin Seamus' Sunday evening? Maybe she'd better wait until Monday morning and contact him at the Ministry.

Pondering her options, she reached for the trunk and dragged it to the box room. Looking about, she decided it was best to keep the trunk out of sight. She opened the large storage closet and hid the trunk behind piles of tablecloths and towels. Carefully eyeing the outcome, she shrugged. That would do. Ginny was just about to shut the closet door when she paused - listening to the excited noises Arnold made in the kitchen. Worried, she hurried back to the kitchen, where Arnold sat on the windowsill, hopping up and down excitedly. When she glanced out the window to find out what Arnold was so agitated about, she froze.

A man walked up the footpath from the cliffs and headed straight for her garden gate, a man with a mop of black hair who certainly had green eyes - she knew he had green eyes, even if she couldn't see his eyes yet.

When the man stepped through the gate, Ginny quietly scurried through the living room and slipped through the back door.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

Harry wandered up the path to the cottage where, as far as he knew, that beautiful redheaded woman he met earlier lived. The sun was already low on the western horizon and the house cast a long shadow. As he walked through the gate, he noticed that the shutters of one of the windows were open now. His heart started to beat faster when he thought he'd noticed movement behind the window. The thought of seeing the woman again planted a goofy grin on his face.

He was about to knock at the door when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. As he turned, he saw her glowing red hair fluttering in the sea breeze. He smiled and called, "Hello, nice to meet you again."

Almost too late he noticed a beam of red light flying towards him. In the last moment, he ducked and jumped to the side to avoid the stunner. Irritated, he reached for his wand to erect a shield, but was a fraction of a second late and couldn't avoid the second stunner that hit him in the squarely in the chest -- and everything went black.


	3. Explanations

A persistent pounding in the rhythm of his pulse made Harry slowly drift back into consciousness. The throbbing ache was accompanied by the sound of footsteps pacing restlessly up and down somewhere nearby. He slightly shook his head to get rid of the annoying achiness when the sound of voice brought him back to life. Biting back a curse, he squinted his eyes in a void attempt to get rid of his headache. Slowly opening the eyes, he looked up at the redheaded woman who was leaning over him.

"Don't even try," she growled. Giving him a cold stare, she folded her arms over her chest. "I called the Aurors."

Trying to sit up, he noticed that his hands were bound behind his back, and he could barely move. His eyes flicked around the room to take in his surroundings. He lay on the sofa in what looked like to be the living room. A brief glance to the window confirmed that he had been lying here for a while. It was already dark outside. He turned his head and got a brief glimpse at the table on the other side of the room. The trunk and the pile of clothing scattered about it was a sure sign that the woman had already checked her trunk.

But why was she so hostile? Suddenly, the word Aurors she'd mentioned rang in his ears.

"Why?" he asked softly, in utter confusion. "What happened?"

*** Ginny & Harry ***

Still shocked that she'd stunned the man she'd met only a few hours ago, Ginny's hands trembled slightly as she levitated him into the living room. Somehow, she'd panicked when he'd suddenly shown up at the step of her door - though she should have expected him as soon as she'd found the tracking charm. She lowered the man on the sofa and checked that his hands were securely bound behind his back before she hid his wand in a drawer and hurried back out to fetch her trunk.

Back in the living room, she placed the trunk on the table and opened it. Relieved that it opened with a simple tap of her wand, she briefly checked the contents and blushed when she found her notebook between her dirty unmentionables. The thought that...that...err, that bloke had been rummaged through her undergarments made her feel a bit - uncomfortable.

Glancing over at the sofa, she bit her lower lip. Had she done the right thing? After all, he didn't look like a criminal.

Frustrated, she paced the room, pondering her situation. Somehow the man on the sofa - she gave him a brief glance to ensure he was still there - had managed to switch their trunks at the portkey station.

Was it a sheer coincidence?

It didn't matter at the moment. Ginny shook her head. It was the contents of the trunk that troubled her. The fake ID cards and the hair that most likely was needed to make Polyjuice potion, implied that the man was doing dirty business.

Oh, she froze.

Was that the reason he'd looked so nervous at customs control? While she was too busy trying not to sink into his green eyes, was he busy trying to smuggle these nefarious items into the country with her as an unknowing patsy? Could those eyes of his lie? Could the contents of his trunk lie?

Ginny sighed. She better let the Aurors answer these questions. If the man was innocent, nothing would happen to him - and he would never want to look at her again. Damn it, she ought to have called Seamus earlier. Maybe things could have been sorted out before the man showed up at her doorstep. If everything was okay, they'd exchanged their trunks - and she would have invited him on a coffee - or a butterbeer.

She snorted bitterly. Merlin, she should have listened to her brother Bill and had her house connected to the Floo network.

A movement on the sofa caught her attention. The man stirred and opened his eyes.

Worried that he might try to free himself, she took a cautious step towards him, her heart thudding away in her chest as she considers her options.

When the man tried to sit up, she glared at him. "Don't even try." Crossing her arms over her chest, she lied, "I called the Aurors."

The man looked at her bewildered. "Why?" What happened?"

Ginny snorted, staring at the man in disbelief. "What happened? You put a trunk with fake ID cards and drugs on me and have the gall to ask me what happened?" she scolded. "No wonder you were looking so scared when we were called for our trunks to be checked. But luckily you had already switched our trunks. Let me guess, you deliberately stumbled over me to switch our trunks. Were you afraid to be discovered? Let the silly girl smuggle the trunk through the check-in area. It's much less dangerous. You faked interest in me just to make sure to find out who I am to get your bloody trunk back."

"No. It's not like that." Shaking his head vehemently, the man gave her a desperate look.

Ginny halted, studying her involuntary guest. The horrified expression on his face and his wide pleading eyes almost took her breath away. Had she wronged him?

"I can explain everything," the man said with a raised voice, shifting around to find a better position on the sofa.

Ginny closed her eyes, trying to stay calm. She'd felt so hurt when she thought his interest in her was feigned. She usually didn't like to be wrong, and as much as she'd love to be wrong about him, the stuff in his trunk still worried her.

"It's all a big misunderstanding," her - guest, prisoner, or whatever -- insisted.

"A misunderstanding?" Ginny huffed. "I've seen what's in your trunk. There are no misunderstandings."

"I can explain that," snapped the man, visibly annoyed. "As I said, I wanted to help a friend. Someone was playing a very bad game with one of my friends. I need my trunk back to prove it."

Taken aback by the unexpected outburst, Ginny turned, her eyes sharp on the man. Resolved to give him a chance to explain himself, Ginny sat down in the armchair next to the sofa and eyed him from head to toe, her fingers absently tapping a restless rhythm on the arm of the chair.

"Who is your friend?" Ginny asked reluctantly when a thought suddenly hit her. "And who are you?"

The man turned his head slightly away from her. "My name is James Evans," he murmured, visibly annoyed.

She didn't know why, but something was bothering Ginny about the answer. Something was wrong here.

"You applied a tracking charm to your trunk so you could track me down to get your trunk back." Ginny pressed. "Why should I believe you?"

"The trunk is important. It must not be lost. That's why I tracked it," the man replied, barely suppressing his irritation. "It has nothing to do with you."

Ginny studied his face closely. She couldn't help it, but something felt wrong here. It almost looked as if a glamour charm was slowly fading. She reached for her wand and tried a few deactivation charms she knew.

The man gave her a startled look. "Damn," he swore, hastily turning his head away.

"What are you hiding?" Ginny inquired. Jumping to her feet, she turned the light on to get a better look at the man.

Slowly, the man turned his head back to her. Jaws clenched; he gave her a grumpy stare.

"Merlin," Ginny gasped, holding her breath. With wide eyes, she gawked at the stranger's forehead. This almost faded lightning-shaped scar could only mean one thing.

Never in her life, she'd expected to meet Harry Potter in person.

The whole wizarding world had been looking for Harry Potter for years, but he had disappeared - as if he'd never existed. For Ginny, her childhood hero had become just that - a childhood memory. The Harry Potter doll she'd played with had vanished in some closet a long time ago. But a children's story couldn't defeat a dark wizard, could it?

And here he was in front of her. Harry Potter. And hidden in her storage room sat his trunk with many questionable items in it that clearly suggest a crime.

Had Harry Potter become a criminal?

Ginny shook her head. Something was wrong here.

"Okay," Potter said, looking at her reproachfully. "I'm not James Evans. Are you happy now?"

"Happy?" gasped Ginny. Folding her arms, she glared at him. "Why should I be happy?"

Not expecting an answer, she let herself drop back in her armchair, never taking her eyes off Potter. "Don't you dare to think this will change your situation," Ginny fumed.

"Okay," he said after a while. "What do you want to know?"

"I ..." Ginny started - and took a deep breath. What did she need to know?

She let her eyes wander over the man on her sofa - not just a man - Harry Potter. Damn, she had to get used to the thought. With the untamed mop of black heir und those incredible green eyes whose gaze was hard to escape, it was still this handsome man she'd met only a few hours ago. The jeans and the tight-fitting shirt he'd put on made him look even more dashing. If only there wasn't this damn trunk...

Exhausted, she rubbed her eyes. Was it really just a misunderstanding that Potter ended up on her sofa, bound?

As much as she hoped, she couldn't be sure. But that was the point. Deep down, she just wanted to know if this handsome man - Harry Potter, she had to remember - was as nice as she thought when they first met. Could those green eyes lie, eyes she couldn't look at without being sucked in?

Meeting her gaze, as if reading her mind, he said in a calm voice, "It was really a misunderstanding. It was not my intention to switch our trunks. Why should I do that? I need my trunk to help a friend."

"Then tell me, how can false ID cards and drug ingredients help your friend?" she raised one eyebrow and stared Potter into the eyes.

"She was blackmailed, and the wrong ID cards and ingredients are evidence needed to bring the blackmailer to justice," Potter explained. "Actually, I shouldn't be talking about it. It would be bad if the extortionists knew about it before we hand the evidence over to the Aurors."

"And you expect me to believe this hogwash?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"Believe what you want. If you think I'm a liar, I don't care," Potter replied wearily.

"If you only knew how much I wish that you don't lie," Ginny huffed. "My first impression was that you're a good bloke. I'd even...," Ginny stopped. This was not the time to talk about her feelings. She looked at the man in front of her. "You can't imagine how much I'd hate to be right."

Potter eyed her contemplatively and said after a long pause, "Okay. I trust that you won't talk to anyone about it. At least not for the next week, and absolutely not to the press."

"About what?" Ginny snorted. "That I met Harry Potter? And that I bound him and dragged him to my house? Don't worry, I won't ruin your reputation. If that gets in the press, I'll volunteer to go to Peru for the next ten years."

Potter chuckled. "No, of course not. I don't care about my reputation. That's about more important things. Do you know this club in Knockturn Alley, it's called The Dancing Cat?"

"Never heard of it. I don't go to clubs." Ginny shook her head and leaned back, ready to listen.

"This club is a little different," Potter explained. "And it's not just the brothel that makes it different. They offer sex with famous people. Of course, not publicly. Only on a recommendation."

"What famous people?" Ginny arched her eyebrows.

"Almost everyone you want. Of course, these are not the real people, but polyjuiced girls. The fake ID cards are used to smuggle the girls from Colombia to the UK. I was over there to find these fake IDs and the hair samples to make the Polyjuice potion. The drug ingredients, I've found by accident. Besides trafficking girls, these people obviously make a lot of money from drugs."

"Why do they bring the hair to Colombia first and then smuggle it back here? It's a bit stupid, isn't it?" asked Ginny a bit puzzled.

"This is hair from people outside the UK, almost all from American celebrities. The hair from British celebrities is of course collected here in London."

"Oh, of course." Ginny nodded absently, processing what she had just heard.

"Without having another sample, it's hard to make a cross-check to find out who the hair belongs to," Potter said.

"Why?" Ginny bit her lower lip, pondering. "You could just make Polyjuice Potion to find out," she finally suggested.

Potter chuckled. "Apparently no one had this idea yet."

"How much would I have to pay for a night with Harry Potter?" she eyed the man on her sofa. "Not that I'm interested," she added quickly.

"I don't know, honestly." Potter gave her a curious look. "But I suspect they make most of their money from extortion. My friend was blackmailed with compromising photographs showing her with men she didn't even know, threatening her to give the photos to the press."

"Apparently, you know a lot of famous people." Ginny eyed Potter and snickered. "Or is the friend just a ruse, and it was you who was blackmailed?"

Potter snorted. "No, luckily they did not. And for the record, I'm not interested in men. Besides, there are only very few people who know Harry Potter; only family and a few friends. For the rest of the world, I'm James Evans, and I doubt someone would be interested in stealing James Evans hair."

"Then you apparently had the bad luck to meet someone who recognizes glamour charms." she grinned.

"A few hours ago, I still thought I was lucky to stumble over you. And for the record, I'd still like to invite you for a drink." He gave her a meaningful look. "Do you believe me?"

"I ... I really want to believe you," Ginny admitted, meeting his piercing gaze. She'd loved those green eyes of his, the moment she'd looked into them for the first time. They had almost sucked her in, she remembered with a slight shudder. Unnerved by the sudden feeling that his eyes could read her mind, she broke eye contact, reprimanding him, "Stop looking at me with those puppy eyes."

"And what keeps you from believing me?" the man asked, wriggling around on the sofa to find a more comfortable position.

"Because I'm not sure if I really believe this insane story, or if I just want to believe that the man, I met today is telling the truth." Ginny frowned. "Am I ought to believe my head or my heart?"

"And what does your heart say?"

Ginny eyed Potter silently. Her face grew warm, and she felt the blush spread over her face when her gaze met his emerald eyes again, which, intensified through the glasses, seemed to look into her soul. She forced herself to avert her eyes. She really wanted to believe Potter; but looking in his eyes made it hard to think. Instead, she watched him out of the corner of her eyes. His initial nervousness had given way to a strange calmness. As reliable as his story sounded, she surely would've heard of such photographs in the press if there had been such rumours. But being in Peru meant that she'd barely read the papers in the last months. Suddenly she froze, remembering. There had been rumours about Gwenog Jones just before she'd left for Peru. She'd have ignored it if it hadn't been about Gwenog Jones - the Gwenog Jones she had adored since her childhood so much that she had considered playing Quidditch herself.

Turning her attention back to Potter, she said, "Tell me more, Potter. Try to convince my head too."

"What do you want to know?" he asked. With a sly smile, he added, "I'll tell you everything if you promise to call me Harry."

"Are these the same people who sent Gwenog Jones' photographs to the Prophet?" With a smirk, she added, "Harry."

"They let it slip to the Prophet that they have compromising photographs of her, there was even an article about it in the paper, but never the photographs. I guess, in the end, Mrs Jones gave in and paid."

"Is she the friend you work for?" Ginny asked.

"No, she's not. My godfather's girlfriend, or rather his fiancée, is being blackmailed. She works in a higher position in the Ministry. For her, it's not just the money, it might be her political survival." Harry said softly.

"If she works for the Ministry, why don't the Aurors take care of it?" Ginny frowned.

"It is a bit difficult for the Ministry to get evidence from Colombia in an official way. They are not known to be cooperative with the British Ministry. We also suspect that the blackmailers have someone in the Colombian ministry who works for them. In the end, I decided to go to Colombia to get the evidence myself."

"Did you find out who is behind this blackmail?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"Yeah, we did," Harry said. "Does the name Greengrass mean anything to you?"

Ginny nodded. "I know the daughters from my time at Hogwarts. Can't say that I have fond memories of them."

"Oh, how stupid of me," Harry exclaimed, looking up at her. "Now I remember. Ginny Weasley. Your name sounded so familiar to me. You were one of the leaders of the Hogwarts resistance, weren't you?"

Ginny blushed; her posture stiffened. "Yeah. But that's not something I want to talk about."

"I can understand that," Harry acknowledged.

"But I remember the Greengrass sisters," said Ginny. "They have always been in the background. It was said that they sold illegal potions to students." Ginny snorted. "In my last year, they didn't even hide it anymore. The Carrows didn't mind that they sold their stuff quite openly. As far as I know, they got their share in the profits." She looked at Harry. "Sounds like they're back in business."

"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "The older sister is obviously the brains of the operation, while her brother-in-law takes care of the girls. He's the owner of The Dancing Cat. As far as I know, he was quite a bully during his time at Hogwarts."

"Bully is a word that's too good for him." Ginny snorted. "It never really came out, but a lot of girls were abused under the Carrows. He and his cronies were prefects, they could do whatever they wanted without being accountable. If you want to do me a favour, let me personally drag him to Azkaban. What the hell..." Ginny froze, her eyes snapped over to the door where she thought she'd heard voices. She walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"I thought I've heard somebody out there," Ginny replied, glancing at her wristwatch. It was already past eleven. At this time, nobody should be walking around so close to the cliffs.

"Did you finally decide if you believe me?" Harry asked her.

Ginny walked back to the sofa and nodded. "Yes. I think, I do. I'll go and get your trunk. But first, turn around and let me release your bindings."

She reached for her wand and leaned over Harry to loosen his ropes when the door burst open with a deafening bang. Someone bellowed a spell and the time seemed to slow down for Ginny. In a futile attempt to face the attacker, she jumped up but couldn't turn fast enough. She felt a violent pain on the back of her head, slumped over the sofa and passed out.


	4. Cooperation

Harry instinctively grasped for his wand - but couldn't reach it. His hands were still tied on his back, and with Ginny spread out over him, he could barely move - not to mention that he had no clue where his wand was, as he just remembered.

"Don't move," ordered a voice from the entry. "Greg, come in. Evans is here."

Harry tried to have a peek around Ginny's shoulder. Surprised, he recognized Zabini, the right-hand-man of the older Greengrass sister, and probably her lover. Another man Harry had never seen, stepped into the room next to Zabini. Shit, he swore inwardly, what were these men doing here?

"Bind them," Zabini ordered the gruff-looking man, pointing his wand at Harry. "Who's the woman?"

The man tied Ginny's hands on her back and pulled her off the sofa. Turning her over, he let out a whistle. "It's Weasley. She's passed out."

"Weasley, the Gryffindor bitch?" Zabini arched his eyebrows. "Didn't know she had anything to do with Evans."

Disgusted by the smell of Firewhiskey, Harry turned his head away as the guy stepped closer to examine him.

"That's odd. His hands are already bound," the man grunted when he found Harry's hands roped up on his back.

"Check that the restraints are tight," Zabini commanded. He walked over to the trunk on the living room table and started rummaging through its contents. "Damn, that's the wrong trunk," he cursed, sniffing at a pair of Ginny's silken knickers.

Harry felt painfully reminded of his own reaction a few hours earlier.

Waving his wand over the trunk, Zabini eyes widened in anger. "Greg, you're an idiot. You were tracking the wrong trunk."

"That's not possible," the other man argued. "He'd held the trunk in his hand when I put the tracking charm on it."

Harry heard a low groan and peered down over the edge of the sofa at Ginny, who just regained consciousness. Looking a little battered, she rolled her neck and she glanced about. "Zabini, what are you doing here? And Goyle, which zoo did you run from? You still stink like a baboon."

"If I were you, I'd shut up," growled Zabini. "We still have some unfinished business. Today would be a good day to settle things between us."

"You think it's time for me to finally send you to Azkaban?" Ginny mocked.

"Shut up," growled the man she'd called Goyle and kicked Ginny in the ribs.

Ginny grinned in disgust at the man who was still leering at her underwear. "So eager to get your hands on a pair of knickers, Zabini? Did Daphne kick you out?"

Harry winced as another violent kick hit Ginny in the side. Grimacing in pain, she gave the man a deadly glare.

"Just like in the old times, Weasley. You never learn to shut up," the ugly bloke grunted.

"We have more important things to discuss." Zabini interrupted the scene. "Where's the trunk, Evans?"

"Safely kept with a friend," Harry replied, trying to sound indifferent, in the hope that his trunk was well-hidden somewhere in the house.

"Let him get the trunk while we keep Weasley hostage," Goyle suggested.

"You're an idiot, Greg." Zabini gave the man a warning look. "Better shut up and stop prattling such a pile of rubbish. I don't know why, but clearly, she'd held Evans here as her prisoner. She's always been a sneaky bitch. Why should he care what we do with her?"

Harry had silently watched the dispute between the intruders and Ginny, worried about her safety. Somehow, he had to get her out of here. "Okay, I have a proposal," he said, looking Zabini in the eye. "She knows where the trunk is. Let her go and get the trunk and I'll be your hostage."

Ginny scowled at him but fortunately, she said nothing.

"Why should she do that?" Zabini asked suspiciously.

"Just to get you out of her house?" Harry replied, inwardly cursing that he couldn't find a better reason.

Zabini shook his head and hissed, "That's all rubbish." Stepping to the sofa, he pointed his wand at Harry's chest and stared into his eyes. "Tell me where's the trunk is, and I will go and get it," He said in a low voice.

Unimpressed, Harry returned the gaze. "No chance. It's at a friend's place, and he will hand it over to the Aurors tomorrow morning if I'm not back." Damn, Harry silently cursed when he noticed Zabini's strange expression. Too late, he averted his gaze.

"Shite," Zabini growled. "That's not Evans! It's Harry Potter!"

"Of course, it's Evens," argued Goyle. "I've been following him for days. It's him."

"You're an idiot, Greg," Zabini retorted angrily. "Look for yourself."

When Goyle let his eyes wander over Harry in confusion, Zabini growled, "His face. Don't you see it? His forehead."

"Oh," Goyle grunted. "That wasn't there before. Not that I know of." Staring at Harry in disbelief, he muttered, "What shall we do now?"

"It doesn't change anything," Harry said in a steady voice. "You won't find here what you're looking for. You're too late."

"Damn it," Zabini growled. "Greg, do not take your eyes off them. I'll go to get new instructions." Sneering at Harry, he added, "We have ways to get the information we need."

"'Kay, Zab. You can count on me," Goyle replied with a silly grin.

"If I could count on you, you would have tracked the right trunk in the first place," Zabini snapped and left the house.

"Where do you keep the Firewhiskey?" Goyle asked as soon as Zabini had left. He turned to look for the kitchen when he got no answer.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

"Where's my wand?" whispered Potter... er, Harry it was, she remembered.

"What do you need it for? It won't help us in our situation," Ginny mumbled grumpily when a thought suddenly hit her. "Oh, I totally forgot. Let me guess, you can summon your wand wandlessly?"

"I would be lying if I said I could. I'm just a normal wizard, but I released my restraints," Harry answered softly.

"That was quick," Ginny wondered.

"That was half an hour ago," he replied smugly.

Ginny peered up at the sofa and caught a glimpse of Harry who was cautious moving. "Are you kidding me?"

With a cheeky grin, Harry peered down over the edge of the sofa. "We had such a nice chat, and I thought I better not scare you if I ever wanted to get the chance to invite you for a coffee."

"Prat!" Ginny snorted.

"Hey. Stop whispering," Goyle called from the kitchen. "Is this Treacle Tart? Hmm. Tastes better than I thought."

"It's poisoned," Ginny yelled back and added softly, "In the right drawer of the sideboard next to the window."

Wasting no time, Harry slid off the sofa and tiptoed over to the sideboard. Ginny nodded as he pointed to a drawer. When he cautiously opened it to take out his wand, Ginny crawled out of the way, always keeping an eye on the opened kitchen door. When she'd found a half-hidden place, she gave Harry a questioning look, wondering what he was going to do.

Harry briefly opened the back door and slammed it shut again.

"Oy, Zab," a voice came from the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon." Goyle strolled into the living room, a bottle of butterbeer in one hand, the wand tucked under his other arm. Staring at the empty sofa, he froze and look about, confused.

"Expelliarmus," Ginny heard Harry shout from the other side of the room. "Sit down on the chair over there, face to the wall," Harry ordered. "And don't move."

When Goyle had followed his orders, Harry walked over to Ginny and murmured in a low voice, "Turn around. I'll take off the restraints."

Ginny rolled to her side and stood up as soon as she felt the ropes fall off. "Thank you!" She gave Harry a grateful smile.

"You're welcome," Harry replied with a smug grin.

Ignoring his attitude, Ginny frowned at Goyle. "What now? To be honest, the sooner I'll get this jerk out of the house, the better. The whole house already stinks of him."

"When do you think the Aurors will be here?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yes. That," Ginny mumbled, blushing. "That was a lie. I didn't call the Aurors." When Harry raised his eyebrows, she added, "I didn't want you to get any silly ideas."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. Giving Goyle a worried look, he said, "Zabini can be back at any minute, and there's a good chance, he's not alone."

"I can activate the wards, so they can't get in," suggested Ginny, glancing over at Goyle. She didn't like the idea of having him in the house at all.

"Good idea," said Harry. "But we won't stay inside. It feels like a trap. We'll wait somewhere outside. And I'll call for help."

"There's a small shed outside where I keep the garden tools. We can hide behind the shed," Ginny said. "It's dark outside, nobody will see us. But wait..."

Harry paused when saw Ginny frown. "What's the problem?"

"I have an idea," said Ginny and added with a small smile, "I never thought that my brothers' invention would be useful someday."

"What inventions?" Harry asked, wondering what Ginny was up to.

"I'll explain later," Ginny murmured and went to the sideboard to take out a box. "This will be a nice little surprise." She grinned at Harry.

Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"It's enchanted grit. I'll scatter it in front of the backdoor. We'll have fun when Zabini comes back." She sniggered.

"Okay," Harry said. "You have to show me that later. But let's get out of here now." Stepping over to Goyle, he nudged the man. "Get up."

"What do you want?" Goyle asked suspiciously.

"Shut up, and just get up," Harry commanded. When Goyle obeyed, he bound his hands and feet together with a brief flick of his wand. After he'd checked the ropes, he turned Goyle horizontally and levitated him out of the house.

Ginny followed him. She turned off the light, closed the door behind her and activated the wards. Noticing that Harry was waiting for her, Ginny mumbled, "Just a moment. I'll be done in a minute."

When the wards were up, Ginny turned and looked about. The little pale light the narrow crescent of the moon provided was just enough to recognize the outline of the shed a few yards away. The strong wind from the afternoon had subsided and had given way to a light breeze, carrying the sound of the waves from below the cliffs. She opened the box and scattered the contents on the path to the back door.

"Let's go over there," Ginny said when she was finished, pointing towards the shed.

Goyle looked around wildly and yelled in panic, "You can't throw me down there!"

"I told you to shut up," Harry replied, silencing him with a movement of his wand.

As Ginny started walking, Harry followed her, letting Goyle float in front of him. When they reached the shed, Ginny pointed to a dark shadow a few yards away. "Put him behind this hedge. He'll be out of the way there."

After getting rid of Goyle, the two of them took their observation post behind the shed. "Does your house have a name?" harry asked with a hushed voice.

"Yes, Seal Cottage. Why?" Ginny tried to read Harry's expression in the dim moonlight.

"I want to call for help," Harry answered softly. "And I ought to inform my godfather that I'm back in England. He'll be worried. With the ruckus all day, I completely forgot to call him."

Startled, Ginny gasped for air and watched with wide eyes how Harry conjured a silvery-shining stag who was eagerly pawing his hoofs while looking at Harry - obviously waiting for instructions. "Deliver this message to Sirius," Harry said softly. "Hi old man, I'm back. We're in a bit of trouble and would appreciate the help of an Auror, or two, we trust. We're in Devon. Seal Cottage, near Hallsands."

The stag nodded briefly and chased off towards the cliffs, where it quickly disappeared in the distance.

"What an exceptional piece of magic, Potter," said Ginny, genuinely impressed.

"What?" Harry replied. "You're a course breaker. I would have expected you've learned that in training."

"We did," confirmed Ginny. "But the results were not always satisfactory."

"What's your Patronus," Harry asked.

"A horse," Ginny replied. "But it's been ages. I don't think I can still do it."

"I'm sure you can still do it," said Harry confidently.

"But now is not the time to try." Ginny shrugged and sat on the wall. She suppressed a whimper as a stab of pain shot through her side. Apparently, Goyle had kicked her harder than she was willing to admit. She took a deep breath and looked up at Harry, who was looking at her worriedly.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, eyes wide with concern. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had broken ribs."

"It's okay. I've had it worse," Ginny waved him off. It was no time for pity.

"I didn't look like it was your first encounter with Zabini and Goyle," Harry said.

"No, it wasn't. But that was in the past," Ginny said. "They were all acquitted."

"What happened?" Harry asked in a worried voice.

"They were prefects and were only carrying out orders. At least that was the official reason. That, and that some of them were not of age yet."

"That's incredible," said Harry, visibly upset. "How can criminals like that get off..."

"Psst," Ginny hissed softly. "Someone is coming."

Voices were heard from in front of the house, slowly becoming louder as they came around the house.

"Must be Zabini," Harry whispered. "The Aurors wouldn't make such a rumpus. It sounds like there are three people." He hesitated briefly and then pointed to the low wall on the other side of the property. "I have a plan. I'm sneaking over there. At my sign, you'll perform the most powerful light spell you know. Once they're blinded, I can easily take them down."

"Understood," Ginny whispered back. "But remember, they'll behave a bit weird as soon as they walk over the grit."

"I'm pretty curious what you're up to," Harry replied, barely able to suppress laughter. "But always stay hidden behind the shed."

"I'm not stupid," Ginny hissed impatiently and turned her attention to her visitors.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

Harry leapt over the low wall surrounding the property, hunched down, and peered over to Ginny. Mollified that she was hidden behind the shed, he turned his attention to the new arrivals.

In the dim moonlight, Harry spotted three figures walking around the corner of the house. Damn, he thought. They came from the other side of the house, where Ginny hadn't spread the grit. Frowning, he decided to wait a moment - in case another accomplice showed up. A quick glance over to the shed confirmed that Ginny was still well-hidden. While he'd experienced first-hand that she was able to defend herself, he would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

"Okay, Zab. Where's Goyle? There's not a single human soul here. Is that even the right house?" someone asked with a mocking voice.

"Do you think I'm daft?" returned someone, probably Zabini.

"Let's take a closer look," the first voice said. "Turn the light on, Zabini."

While one of the men investigated the house with his wand light, Harry looked worriedly over to Ginny. He was relieved to see that the shine of light didn't reach her.

"The door is locked. It's dark inside. There's nobody is at home."

"It can't be. When I left ten minutes ago, the two were bound, and Goyle was watching them."

A man with blond hair Harry didn't know sneered, "Goyle has never been the brightest. Either this is the wrong house, or he screwed it up again."

"Anyway. We need to find that damn trunk," Zabini hissed annoyed. "Stay here!"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I have to pee," one of the men replied, walking away from the group. He took only a few steps when he suddenly cried out and fell into a wild tap dance.

"What the hell are you doing," cried Zabini as a blinding bright light flashed up next to the shed. With a yelp, the men spun around and raised their hands to protect their eyes.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Harry got up and fired three stunners at the men. While two of the men went down, the third put up a shield in time. Harry sent three more stunners after the blond man who quickly moved towards the far corner of the house, holding up his shield in front of him. Bouncing over the wall, Harry ran towards the opposite corner of the house to get in the back of the man. When he reached the front of the house, he heard the soft popping sound of Apparition.

A swear escaped his lips and he angrily walked back the back yard to look after the two men he'd stunned - but Ginny had already done the work for him. The two men laid tied up in the light of a torch on the meadow next to the garden bench.

"He Apparated away," said Harry when Ginny gave him a questioning look.

"He's always been good at running away," Ginny murmured with a dismissive gesture.

"You recognized him?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ginny nodded. "He was one of the biggest bullies at Hogwarts. I was surprised that he showed up here. He usually let others do his dirty work." With a snort, she added, "he probably wanted to see the famous Harry Potter with his own eyes."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry replied grumpily. "We better turn the lights on in the house. Don't want the Aurors to get funny ideas when they finally show up, do we?"

"Yeah, good idea," Ginny muttered and headed to the back door.

Harry picked Goyle up from behind the hedge where they'd hidden him and levitated him to the other bound men. Sitting on the bench, Harry studied the three men and shook his head pensively. What a strange day, he thought to himself. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. When Ginny came back outside, he moved a bit and let her sit next to him. He looked up and smiled at her. At least he'd met her again, and still had the chance to invite her for coffee, and maybe - just maybe -even a bit more.

Ginny gave him a mischievous grin. "Somehow, I got the impression that Harry Potter's life must be pretty exciting. Do you often get into trouble like this?"

"No," Harry snorted. "Never." When Ginny raised an eyebrow, he added with a crooked smile, "Usually the trouble finds me. Maybe you've noticed, I only need to stumble over a trunk, and the hell breaks loose."

Ginny laughed, but briefly grimaced in pain.

Harry looked at her worriedly. "You're hurt. How are your ribs doing?"

"Last time I checked, they were still there," Ginny said. When Harry gave her a worried glance, she rolled her eyes. "I'll have my mother check me over tomorrow."

"Your mother is a Healer?"

Ginny sighed. "No, but when we were playing Quidditch, we often had bruised ribs, and my mother always patched us up. She's good with healing charms."

"You were playing Quidditch at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, delighted that she played his favourite sport.

"Yes," Ginny smiled. "But I meant at home. You need to know; I have six older brothers. We always played Quidditch at home in the summer holidays." Ginny chuckled. "At least when I was older, and they let me play along."

"Six older brothers?" Harry asked impressed. "And I wanted to invite you for a coffee. Obviously not a good idea."

Ginny snickered. "If Harry Potter is such a coward, I'd be happy to drink my coffee alone."

"Oy, that was tough," Harry replied, enjoying their banter.

"Harry, are you here?" a voice asked worriedly from somewhere in the darkness.

Harry got up and called, "Yes. I'm here. Just follow the light."

As Ginny looked up, her brows raised, he whispered, "It's my godfather."

"What are you doing here in the back of beyond?" Sirius muttered as he walked around the corner.

"That, I have to ask you, Sirius. I asked you to call the Aurors; not that you show up here yourself."

Harry groaned when Sirius' eyes fell on Ginny, and a smug grin spread across his face. "Now I understand why my dear godson forgot to contact me after he came back from abroad. Though, it's a complete mystery to me why he needs the Aurors for a rendezvous with you, Miss..." Sirius gave him a questioning look.

"Weasley, Ginny Weasley," Harry introduced Ginny, and, pointing at his godfather, he continued, "and this is my godfather, Sirius Black."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Ms Weasley. I had already given up the hope that Harry would introduce me to a young woman one day."

Harry groaned, "Sirius, now is not the time ..."

"Tsk, tsk, Harry. You let your godfather finish talking. Where are we here, anyway?"

"I live here. This is my house," said Ginny.

Sirius looked from Ginny to Harry, "Do you live here, too? You never..."

"No, Sirius. I don't live here." Harry rolled his eyes. "It's a long story. Let's wait for the Aurors. I don't want to tell it twice. Just so much, we met today and had a nice chat..." Ginny snorted amused, shaking her head. "...when those rude gits interrupted us," Harry concluded with an impish grin, pointing at the gatecrasher.

Frowning, Sirius glanced over to the men. "Oh, I didn't see..." he started but was interrupted by a female voice. "Sirius, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, Dora. Nice to see you at last," Sirius replied, turning to the newcomer. "Where have you been? I'd never thought that I'd be faster than the Auror department."

"Why did you call us, Sirius? You said Harry was in trouble," the woman asked, looking about. "Ah, there you are, Harry. What's the problem?"

"Nice to see you, Dora, ...and you, Jones," Harry nodded to the second Auror, who stepped out of the dark with his wand at ready. "We had a few uninvited guests here and thought they were in good hands with the Aurors," said Harry and started explaining what had happened.

"And where's the trunk with the evidence?" Jones asked when Harry had finished his tale.

"There are still a few personal items in the trunk. I'd like to take them out before I hand it over to the Aurors." With a glance at Sirius, he continued, "We wanted to hand the trunk over to the Aurors tomorrow anyway. Is it okay if I come to the Ministry tomorrow afternoon to bring you the trunk?"

Dora took a deep breath and said reluctantly, "I don't like it, but okay. You are aware that we have to release them if we don't have the evidence by tomorrow evening?"

"Yes, I know," Harry replied. "I'll be there. Thank you!"

"Okay, but don't be late. I don't want to miss the party I'm invited in the evening," Dora grinned at him and headed over to Jones to help him take away the captives.

"How about a cup of tea?" asked Ginny.

Sirius glanced at his watch and shook his head regretfully. "Sorry, it's already after midnight," he said. With a broad smile, he walked over to Harry and took him in his arms, exclaiming, "Happy birthday Harry."

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry replied, peering uncertainly over at Ginny.

"Goodbye, Ms Weasley. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the birthday party tonight." Sirius said smirking, raised his hand in good-bye and Apparated away.

"Birthday?" Ginny asked, cocking her head.


	5. Confessions

"Birthday?" Ginny asked.

"Yep," Harry shrugged. "There are things you just can't avoid."

"Then I wish you all the best." Ginny smiled at him. "How about a drink on your birthday? A butterbeer? Or do you rather want a Firewhiskey?"

"Merlin, no." Harry raised his hands. "Thanks, but I already caused you enough trouble."

"Last time I checked, it was me who stunned and bound you." Ginny chuckled. "I could have just given you your trunk back when you showed up here. So much for who caused the trouble." She paused briefly before she snorted, "Let's just hope my family won't find out."

"Why?" Harry asked concerned, wondering if she'd get into trouble with her family because of him.

"Oh, believe me, they will be thrilled when they find out that their little sister and only daughter has stunned and bound Harry Potter and passed a gang of criminals to the Aurors. The first thing they'll do is telling me that I'd be much safer at home with my parents. They never liked the idea of me living out here all alone. You can't imagine how much I'd love that." Ginny rolled her eyes.

Harry laughed. "Life in a big family seems to be very exciting."

"If you only knew," Ginny grumbled and pointed to the garden bench. "But let's sit down or we're wearing holes in the lawn." A grin spread over her face when she added, "Since you didn't want to have a drink with me on your birthday, I'll spend a round on our victory."

"Oh, I didn't mean to..." Harry replied indignantly but was interrupted by Ginny.

"You said it was trouble to have a drink with me," she returned.

"I didn't..." he began when he noticed the grin on her face. "Oh, you're so evil. I just want to let you know that I wanted to have a coffee or tea with you all day, but I never got a chance to ask you." Harry couldn't help but laugh about her antics.

"I'm honoured to hear that you do want to have a drink with me," Ginny smirked. "Do you want a butterbeer or a tea with a dash of Firewhiskey?"

"Tea with Firewhisky?" Harry asked, tilting his head. He'd never tried tea with Firewisky.

"Yeah, I always have a tea with Firewhiskey when I'm out here in the fresh air at night," Ginny replied.

"Okay," Harry said. ""I'd never have thought of pouring the good old Ogdens into my tea, but I'll try that, too."

"Ogdens?" Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't afford the expensive stuff. I work for Gringott, but I don't own it. But I can offer you a fine Firewhiskey you can't buy anywhere. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back," she called, pointing to the garden bench and disappeared through the back door.

Harry sat down on the garden bench and leaned back, relieved that the strong wind of the afternoon had given way to a pleasant, mild breeze. With folded arms, he was looking about, taking in the nightly scenery, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere deep beneath the cliffs. The crescent moon and the stars were peeking through the gaps between the clouds, illuminating the sea, which could be seen as a silver stripe over the edge of the cliffs. He let his eyes wander over to the lighthouse, whose beam of light seemed to be steadily searching the landscape for suspicious things.

Taking a deep breath of the sea air, Harry sighed contentedly.

"It's lovely out here," he said when Ginny came back, levitating a tray in front of her. He helped her put the cups and the teapot on the table and eyed the label-less bottle Ginny had placed on the table with interest.

"It's homemade," she said. "Do you want a drammie or just a dash in your tea?"

When Harry hesitated, she laughed and said, "Don't be like this. The Firewhiskey is really good. It's an old family recipe, perfected by my twin brothers."

"I think I'll take a dash in the tea," Harry replied.

"Unfortunately, Goyle ruined the Treacle Tart. I don't want to offer you anything this idiot has bitten off from. But I could offer some exquisite homemade biscuits instead," said Ginny.

"Aw, that's a pity. Treacle Tart is my favourite," Harry replied, moving over to make room for her. "Er...why don't you sit down? You'll get into trouble with the lady of the house if you're wearing holes in the lawn."

"Prat!" Ginny snorted.

Harry reached for the bottle and sniffed it.

"Hey, it's not poisoned," complained Ginny.

"The recipe is from the same brothers who invented this grit?" he asked suspiciously.

"Exactly the same," laughed Ginny. "They are pretty good with their inventions. They work for Zonko's in Hogsmeade."

"Those two redheaded chaps at Zonko's are your brothers?" Harry asked, surprised.

"You know them?" Ginny looked at him, curiosity written in her face.

"Merlin, no," said Harry. "But I've been at Zonko's a couple of times. Let's put it this way; they left a lasting impression."

"Yes, that sounds like them," Ginny chuckled. "They always wanted to open their own shop, but never had the money to actually do it."

"Once, they talked me into buying a whoopee cushion." Harry laughed. "I placed it on Sirius' chair the first time Amelia Bones had visited his house at Grimmauld Place. It was hilarious." His eyes moist with laughter, he lifted his cup to Ginny. "Well then, to the lady of the house."

"To the birthday boy," replied Ginny, clinking cups with him. "And I'm sorry I attacked you without warning. It's usually not my way."

"You were lucky I was distracted," Harry replied with a cheeky grin.

"Distracted? What got you distracted?" Ginny looked at him, her head cocked.

"The adorable looking redhead who lives here," Harry replied. "I should have listened to my godfather. He has always told me to be cautious around beautiful women."

"He couldn't have meant me," said Ginny, pouting. "I am neither beautiful nor dangerous."

"You are either clueless or fishing for compliments, Miss Weasley." Harry chuckled, amazed that it was so easy to joke with her - and make her laugh. Inwardly shaking his head, he wondered why he had been so awkward when he'd met her at the Portkey Station.

"Prat," replied Ginny, nudging him. "Stop making fun of me. There's no need for flattery. Rest assured that you will get your trunk back, Mr Potter."

"Oh, I'm not making fun of you. I really mean it." Harry said and turned to face Ginny, admiring the sparkling of her hair in the light of the torch. Her braid had loosened somewhat in the heat of the earlier action, and Harry felt tempted to brush the loose strands behind her ears. As she slowly turned her head and looked into his eyes, he said in a soft voice, "Why should I lie?"

With a grin, she replied, "I'm not sure. Either to get on my good side or just to get into my knickers..."

Harry glanced pensively at Ginny, remembering what she'd said earlier. He took the glasses off his nose and rubbed his eyes. Had the contents of his trunk really troubled her so much? With a sigh, he put the glasses back on and looked at Ginny. "The first impression I made on you must have been terrible as you said earlier that you're not interested in me."

"I didn't say that," said Ginny hastily, blushing slightly when she looked up. "I'm not interested in spending the night with a girl who's disguised as Harry Potter."

"Oh, that ... I see your point." Harry smiled when their eyes met. "Somehow I'm glad that we swapped our trunks."

"Yeah, we would have missed an evening filled with fun." Ginny snorted and took a sip of her tea.

"No," said Harry. "Because it's the reason I met you again. I was really crushed when you disappeared. As opposed to me, you made an exceptionally good first impression on me."

"I never said my first impression of you was bad," Ginny replied. "On the contrary. I was just confused about that bloody trunk. And sorry, I really was in a bit in a hurry. I was hoping to surprise my family, and when the official...Oh!" She sniggered. "Please tell, how did the customs control go?"

"Oh, don't remind me!" Harry called and started laughing. "It was ... hilarious. You should have seen the face of the officer."

"Imagine his face if we hadn't swapped our trunks." Ginny's bright laugh joined his.

"Ouch! I think it's better the way it was." Harry called out with tears of merriment. Listening to her cheerful laughter, he glanced over at Ginny, suppressing the urge to put his arms around her shoulders and pull her close to him. It was probably a bit early for that considering that only one hour ago, she had thought he was a dangerous crook. It was surely not wise to rush things and spoil the good mood.

"Why did you believe me?" The question escaped his lips without further thinking.

Ginny furrowed her brow as if considering her answer. "Well, as I said earlier, I really wanted to believe you. But your story sounded so harebrained. I dunno..." She slowly shook her head. "Everything felt a bit irrational."

"That it does." Harry chuckled.

"Then I remembered this article about Gwenog Jones, and I thought that maybe there was really something to it."

"Ah, Quidditch." Harry nodded. "Do you still play Quidditch?"

"No. Sadly I have barely a chance to play anymore," Ginny replied. "But during my time at Hogwarts, it was all about Quidditch. We Weasleys all played in the Gryffindor team. Well, everyone but Percy."

"As a teenager, I would have loved to play in a team," said Harry. "I love to fly. Sirius took me twice to a Quidditch summer camp in Spain. It was a lot of fun."

Ginny moved a bit closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath of the floral scent of her hair, he put his arm around her. "I almost tried to play professionally," she said.

"That's great. There was a time I thought about that myself," said Harry. "What stopped you from doing it?"

"I applied for the Holyhead Harpies, and I even received an invitation letter from Gwenog Jones personally. But in the end, I decided to become a curse-breaker."

"Why?" Ginny's response sparked Harry's interest.

"I happened to meet my old Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Do you know Oliver Wood?" Ginny looked up at him.

"The keeper of Puddlemere?" Harry asked.

"The very one," Ginny confirmed. "We met at one of these annual Gryffindor reunions and talked about the good old Quidditch times. He told me a bit about the life of a professional Quidditch player." Ginny chuckled. "A couple of reporters had apparently got wind of our get-together and turned up there. The next day there was a picture of Olliver and me in the newspaper announcing that I was his new flame."

"Have you been with Wood?" Harry asked.

"Merlin, no," replied Ginny. "We are good friends and old teammates. Anyway, that day I realised that all these restrictions and the life in the gossip columns didn't seem alluring to me. Not for all the money in the world." She snorted. "I love my private life."

"I like to watch Quidditch games," said Harry. "Unfortunately, I rarely have the time."

"My friend Demelza, Demelza Robins, plays chaser for Pride of Portree. I want to meet with her in the next days and hope to get tickets for her next game," said Ginny, smiling. "It's been ages since I've seen her play a game."

"Seems, it's you who know a lot of famous people, and not me," Harry chuckled, remembering Ginny's remark when she'd questioned him earlier.

"Nah," replied Ginny. "They're just school friends. When you went to school at Hogwarts, you can't avoid knowing famous people because almost everyone goes to school there." Ginny eyed him thoughtfully. "Why didn't you go to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, I would have loved to go," Harry replied. "But at that time there were rumours that Voldemort wasn't really dead, and a few of his followers were spotted at Hogwarts. Sirius thought it would be safer for me to have private lessons."

"Your godfather seems to be very protective," said Ginny.

"Yes, absolutely," Harry chuckled. "Almost like six older brothers. He always tried to be like a father to me, but somehow he often was more like a big brother."

"And what was it like getting private lessons," asked Ginny. "Sounds lonely to me."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad. Mostly. But yeah, often a little lonely," said Harry, wistfully pondering what his life would be like now - with as many friends as Ginny apparently had. "I figure my life would probably be a bit more public now, like that of your friend Oliver Wood."

"And what happens when Zabini blabs whom he met here?" asked Ginny. "Your private life would be over."

"I'm more worried about you," Harry replied. When Ginny gave him a bewildered look, he said. "They'll associate you with me."

"And that makes you feel uncomfortable?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Of course," Harry said. "...Merlin, no. That's not what I meant. I'd feel miserable if you'll lose your private life because of me."

"Then I apply for the next assignment abroad and everything is forgotten by the time I get back," Ginny said matter-of-factly.

"Just disappearing for a while sounds like a good idea," snorted Harry. "Maybe I'll apply for a position as a security officer for your expedition."

"Then you have to tell the Goblins who you are," said Ginny.

"Oh, that's not a problem," Harry waved off. "The Goblins know perfectly well who I am and where I live. After all, they do all of my banking. Where will Gringotts send you next?"

"Honestly, I don't know," said Ginny. "I was hoping to spend a few months in England to meet friends I haven't seen in a long time. And in autumn, when the weather gets worse here, I hope for a place on an expedition. As far as I know, Gringotts plans excavations in South America and Mexico."

"That sounds fantastic," said Harry dreamily. "Now I'm almost a bit jealous. Maybe I should really apply for a security job at Gringotts." Glancing at his watch, Harry gasped, "Merlin, how time flies. It's almost half four. I keep you from your well-deserved sleep."

"Poppycock," Ginny said. "It's just early evening in Peru. I'm not tired yet. But you ought to be fit for your party tonight. So we better call it a day now."

"Yeah, I better go home now," Harry agreed. "But I'd be grateful if you'd gave me my trunk back before I leave."

"What trunk?" Ginny looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hey," Harry yelped and chuckled when Ginny burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay, I'll go and get it," Ginny said, still giggling. "I'll be right back." She got up and walked to the back door.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Ginny heard Harry calling as she entered the house.

"Don't worry. I won't switch our trunks." She laughed. "Your trunk is here in my box room. But don't look about, it's not very tidy." She opened the closet door and knelt down to push a stack of towels aside.

"Hey, Potter. What are you doing here?"

"What?" Ginny looked up at Harry questioningly. Following his gaze, she noticed her old, battered Harry Potter doll sitting on a shelf.

"Oh no," she called mortified. How could she forget about that damn doll? Giving Harry a challenging glance, she groaned, "Don't say a word!"

"Oh. That's a shame," he replied with a lopsided grin. "I just wanted to invite you to my birthday party. How am I supposed to do that without saying a word?"

Ginny eyed Harry thoughtfully as he stood there, his irresistible smile on his lips, nervously running his hands through his black mop of hair which apparently couldn't be tamed by a comb. The small crooked smile on his lips almost took her breath away.

Unconsciously, she was about to take a step closer when she looked up in his eyes.

What a mistake!

She felt as if his eyes, whose unfathomable green was intensified by his glasses, could look deep down into her soul. A slight shiver ran down her back, and her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The intense fragrance of his aftershave made her aware of how close they were to each other. Her eyes wandered back to his lips, which irresistibly attracted her. Mesmerized, she held her breath as his tongue licked his lips, unable to avert her eyes.

As she took a step closer, his arms closed around her, and she felt the warmth of his body. No longer trusting her legs, she threw herself around his neck to hold on. Closing her eyes, she reached up to him, instinctively knowing that he was thinking the same thing. A satisfied groan escaped her when she felt his lips gently on hers. The first gentle, somewhat reserved touches quickly became more passionate, and she pressed her body closer to him. The sensation of his chest grinding against her breasts send a shudder down her spine. As his tongue gently licked across her lips to ask for entry, she willingly opened her mouth and stopped thinking, surrendering to the dance of her tongues.

Later - much later, when the lack of oxygen took its toll, she smiled at Harry, gasping for air.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It took you twelve hours to finally kiss me." She beamed, caressing his cheek. "But it was worth the wait."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I disappointed you." Harry chuckled. "Most of the time, I was busy avoiding your stunners."

"Idiot!" Ginny said good-humoured, resting her head on his chest. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean the invitation to your birthday party." Somehow, she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet Harry's family. They hardly knew each other. "It's probably a big party tonight, and I hardly know anybody."

"Merlin, no." Harry laughed and stroked her hair. "Fortunately not. Only the closest friends. Only people who know that I am Harry Potter. And that's just another reason for you to come..."

"I don't know. It feels a bit..."

"You would make me the happiest birthday boy in the world when you come," Harry interrupted her.

"Okay," she whispered. "Then I have no other choice." With a solemn look, she added, "But a single word about the doll, and you're a dead man."

"Never," Harry promised. "But think I'll buy a fiery red-haired doll, so I don't sit on the shelf so alone."

"Now that I know Harry Potter really exists, I could find a nice place for him and his girl in the living room." Ginny smiled and pulled Harry closer again. She had no intention of letting him go home soon.

*** The end ***


End file.
